It poured yesterday so we decided to take cover in the British Museum. Bad idea. We and 10,000 desperate parents many pushing strollers had the same idea. There are only three restrooms and as far as I could see one “lift” suitable for transporting strollers from ground level to level 3. Need I say more. Fortunately, we can still walk stairs.
Later in our trip we will be staying at Hadrian’s Wall in a little town named Twice Brewed. I wanted to view the Romano-British collection so we headed to room 39 where it is housed. This bust of Hadrian was plucked from the Thames near London Bridge in 1834. He visited Britain in 122 CE.
This is a mask of a Roman Centurion from the same time period. The image of the young soldier is very beautiful.
Mesopotamian artifacts are in the adjacent room. This spectacular tile with the image of Ashtarte/Ishtar intrigued me. I love her owlish companions and her bird feet. My Hebrew name is Esther which derives from the same root as Ashtarte and Ishtar. Ish means woman in Hebrew. All interesting.
I found one other piece very interesting. It’s titled “Ram Caught in Thicket.” I immediately thought of the ram caught in the burning bush from the Bible and wondered if there was a connection. I wonder who made this statue.
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